Environmental news in Florida rarely gives us something we can cheer. Finally, happily, an exception.
Two federal agencies Tuesday issued a final rule that will revise the listing for green sea turtles under the Endangered Species Act, including reclassifying the breeding population originating from Florida, from endangered to threatened.
Green sea turtles breeding along the Pacific coast of Mexico are also included in the upgrade.
The good news is entirely due to successful conservation efforts, say National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Green sea turtles have been listed as a threatened species, with the exception of the endangered breeding populations, since 1978.
“Successful conservation and management efforts developed in Florida and along the Pacific coast of Mexico are a roadmap for further recovery strategies of green turtle populations around the world," said Eileen Sobeck, assistant NOAA administrator for fisheries.
Years of coordinated conservation efforts, including protection of nesting beaches, reduction of bycatch in fisheries, and prohibitions on the direct harvest of sea turtles, have led to increasing numbers of turtles nesting in Florida.
This reclassification has a special meaning for me and our family.
In 1977, when we first came to Martin County, Fla. -- where hundreds of sea turtles clamber out of the water in the dead of night and trudge to the dune line to lay their eggs -- my husband and I and all of our seven kids were at one point or another involved in the conservation of these creatures.
One of our closest family friends was Ross Witham, hands-down the most accomplished sea turtle conservationist in Florida during the last century. Ross was marine turtle coordinator for the Florida Department of Natural Resources from 1963 through 1987.
Ross authored more than 30 professional papers about aspects of sea turtle and spiny lobster biology. But that was not his most important accomplishment. Here's what I want you to know: Long before it became fashionable for professional scientists to communicate with the public, Ross wrote a children’s book on sea turtles and actively involved children and the general public in sea turtle protection. He coached countless volunteers (including children like ours, retirees like my parents, and academics who came from all over the world) on how to identify and protect sea turtles.
Ross died in 2004. I so wish he were here today to see what, in part anyway, are the fruits of his labor.
“While threats remain for green sea turtles globally, the reclassification of green sea turtles in Florida and Mexico shows how ESA-inspired partnerships between the federal agencies, states, NGOs and even countries is making a real difference for some of our planet’s most imperiled species,” said Fish and Wildlife Service director Dan Ashe.
Significant challenges remain to conserving and restoring green sea turtle populations around the world. Primary threats to green sea turtles include fisheries bycatch, habitat alteration, harvest of turtles and eggs, and disease. Development and rising seas from climate change are also leading to the loss of critical nesting beach habitat for green sea turtles. The agencies and partners continue to study green sea turtles to make sure conservation and management decisions are driven by the best available science. Nothing could be better.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith
